me the Gnostic
recast of this work in the 3rd century as is done by Lipsius. The author
had at his disposal two distinct groups of legends about Mary. One of
these groups is certainly of non-Jewish origin, as it conceives Mary as
living in the temple somewhat after the manner of a vestal virgin or a
priestess of Isis. The other group is more in accord with the orthodox
gospels. The book appears to have been written in Egypt, and in the
early years of the 2nd century. For, since Origen states that many
appealed to it in support of the view that the brothers of Jesus were
sons of Joseph by a former marriage, the book must have been current
about A.D. 200. From Origen we may ascend to Clem. Alex. who (_Strom._
vi. 93) shows acquaintance with one of the chief doctrines of the
book--the perpetual virginity of Mary. Finally, as Justin's statements
as to the birth of Jesus in a cave and Mary's descent from David show in
all probability his acquaintance with the book, it may with good grounds
be assigned to the first decade of the 2nd century. (So Zahn, _Gesch.
Kanons_, i. 485, 499, 502, 504, 539; ii. 774-780.) For the Greek text
see Tischendorf, _Evang. Apocr.[2]_ 1-50; B.P. Grenfell, _An Alexandrian
erotic Fragment and other Papyri_, 1896, pp. 13-17: for the Syriac,
Wright, _Contributions to Apocryphal Literature of the N.T._, 1865, pp.
3-7; A.S. Lewis, _Studia Sinaitica_, xi. pp. 1-22. See literature
generally in Hennecke, _NT liche Apok. Handbuch_, 106 seq.

_Gospel of Nicodemus._--This title is first met with in the 13th
century. It is used to designate an apocryphal writing entitled in the
older MSS. [Greek: hypomnemata tou Kuriou hemon Iesou Christou
praxchenta epi Pontiou Pilatou]; also "Gesta Salvatoris Domini ...
inventa Theodosio magno imperatore in Ierusalem in praetorio Pontii
Pilati in codicibus publicis." See Tischendorf, _Evang. Apocr.[2]_ pp.
333-335. This work gives an account of the Passion (i.-xi.), the
Resurrection (xii.-xvi.), and the _Descensus ad Inferos_ (xvii.-xxvii.).
Chapters i.-xvi. are extant, in the Greek, Coptic, and two Armenian
versions. The two Latin versions and a Byzantine recension of the Greek
contain i.-xxvii. (see Tischendorf, _Evangelia Apocrypha[2]_, pp.
210-458). All known texts go back to A.D. 425, if one may trust the
reference to Theodosius. But this was only a revision, for as early as
376 Epiphanius (_Haer._ i. 1.) presupposes the existence of a like text.
In 325 Eusebius (_H.E._